Can I watch ITV on the Apple TV?

Can I watch Channel 4, 4OD on the Apple TV?

Yes, Channel 4 have a 4 On Demand App for the Apple TV which was launched in early 2019. C4 were the last on the UK networks to have a native Apple TV App but they’ve got one now and it works really well. The also have a separate App for Channel 4 News.

Can I watch Channel 5 on Apple TV?

Yes, again the Channel 5 App can be downloaded from the Apple TV App Store. It works really well for watch C5 programmes on catch-up.

Can I watch Netflix on an Apple TV?

Yes, there is a native Netflix app for the Apple TV. It’s fully integrated with the Apple TV Siri search, so after installing you’ll see results appear for Netflix as well as iTunes and other providers.

Can I watch Dave, Yesterday, Drama, Really etc on the Apple TV?

Yes, you can catch-up with Top Gear repeats on Dave using your Apple TV. All you need to do is download the UKTV Play App from the Apple TV App Store. This then gives you access to all these free UK channels.

Can I watch Sky One, Sky Sports, Sky Atlantic etc on the Apple TV?

Yes, If you only want to watch occasional programmes on Sky Channels you can watch Sky without a subscription by buying a time limited pass using the Now TV App.

Where is the App Store on Apple TV?

The Apple TV App Store is the blue icon with the capital A on it.

Where can I buy an Apple TV?

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BUYERS GUIDE

If you click on these links when you get to Amazon look a little way down the page for “New & Used”, at the time of writing they are offering the 4K 32GB model for £157.52 through their Amazon Warehouse factory outlet often only due to damaged packaging. I also recommend checking out https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/refurbished/appletv on the Apple store. It’s a well kept secret that Apple also have a factory outlet for what they describe as ‘Refurished’ but which I suspect is also a way for they to sell of surplus stock. I have used this to buy many Apple products over the years and everything has apeared to be brandnew when I received it.

I note that at the time of writing John Lewis prices are the same as Amazon. They make a point on their site of saying you will get Apple TV+ free for a year with the purchase. My understanding now is that you should get this with any new Apple TV, iPad or iPhone purchase whereever you buy it.

Should I buy the HD or 4K version and how much memory?

If you have a 4K TV or are likely to buy one in the next couple of years then it’s probably best to spend the extra and get the 4K model. If however you only plan to use this on a standard HD TV then there’s no point spending more to get the 4K version.

What size memory do I need in my Apple TV? Well for most users the 32GB of memory is fine. The system dynamically pulls content as required over the Internet. If you have a slow Internet connection you may want to consider the larger memory sizes so that more content can be cached (stored) locally to reduce what is being downloaded.

How to use Apple TV without Apple TV remote

If you can’t find your Apple TV remote you can control the Apple TV from your iPhone or iPad. Swipe up to see the controls and usually under the torch icon you will see a remote control icon. Press this and you you will see the remote control app (see left) which you can control your Apple TV with.

In someways this is better as when you need to enter text you can use the pop-up keyboard. You are also a lot less likely to misplace your iPhone.

Finally you can buy replacements for the Apple TV remote. If you don’t want to full Siri Remote which comes with the Apple TV you can still buy the cheaper remotes from the previous generation of Apple TV and these work just as well but without Siri and not as games controllers.

Does the Apple TV remote take batteries?

The 4th Generation Siri Remote does not take batteries. It is rechargable using an iPhone charger. A full charge lasts a week or more in my house with a couple of children using it all the time for TV and games. It only takes an hour to charge.

The silver 3rd generation remotes do take the flat watch style batteries but they last for a year or more with reasonable use.

What battery does Apple TV remote take?

Does Apple TV come with an HDMI cable?

No it doesn’t come with an HDMI cable. In the UK Apple recommend the Belkin UltraHD 4K HDMI Cable (2m) and sell it for about £20 on their store. I’m sure that’s a great cable and you won’t go wrong with it.

On the otherhand if you check Amazon the top rated HDMI 4K cable at the time of writing is the Syncwire HDMI Cable 2M 4K High Speed 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 Cable. This has a 4.8 out of 5 rating from almost a thousand reviewers and it’s much cheaper at just over £12 and available for next day delivery – click here for details.

Do make sure you get one of the above cables and not a cheap unbranded HDMI cable as this can affect picture and audio quality espetially at 4K with high refresh rates. I have seen many problems caused over the years by cheap cables with poor screening picking up interferance from nearby WiFi routers, microwaves and electrically noisy switches and central heating theremostats.

Does Apple buyback Apple TV?

No not at the time of writing. However this shouldn’t be a problem as most Apple products maintain their value well and you should be able to sell a 2 to 3 year old model on eBay for atleast half the original purchase price. Do keep the original box as this makes it much more attractive when you come to sell it.

Can I play games on the Apple TV?

Yes, there is quite a large and growing selection of games in the App Store and Apple now have their Apple Arcade games subscription service which lets you play hundreds of games for just £4.99 a month. Unlike some other platforms there are no hidden in game purchases / upgrades.

You can use the Siri remote to control the games and this is fine if you just want to play the occasional game.

If you want to spend more time playin the games or you want multiple players you can use Microsoft XBox Games controllers which you can buy from Apple or Amazon for about £50 – click here.

There are thirdparty XBox compatible controllers but be careful with these they may be compatible with XBox but Apple only test their product using the official XBox controller, so a cheaper product may not work.

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Still have questions?

If you have any further questions about the Apple TV please leave a comment below and I will be pleased to get back to you with whatever help I can provide.

2 Comments

Hi Alison, No you don’t need any Apple subscriptions such as Apple TV+ to use Apple TV. For example in the UK, you can quite happily use Apple TV to access BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Channel 4, Netflix, Amazon video and rent movies from the Apple store for a one off rental – or you can choose to buy the film. Hope this helps but do let me know if you have any other questions. Linda